Sep 6, 2017: The second round of the LPGA T&CP National Championship finished at Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club on Tuesday with first-round leader Wendy Doolan extending her lead in the Championship Division to six shots heading into the final day of play.
Aditi Ashok is in action this week, confidence high from her T15 finish in the Cambia Portland Classic last week.
The 91st ranked Indian was also T8 in the Marathon Classic. The 19 year old rookie on the LPGA Tour is lying 20th in the YTD rankings for Putts per GIR (1.77). Aditi is averaging 29.20 putts per round of golf this season on the tour.
Doolan, who competed on the LPGA Tour for 17 years and is currently a teaching pro in Lakeland, Fla., fired a tournament-low 67 that moved her to 6-under-par overall. PGA professional Joanna Coe (Baltimore, Md.) sits in second after her second straight round of even-par 72.
Doolan carded an impressive seven birdies in her round along with two bogeys and took advantage of her morning tee time when the greens played a tad easier than they had the previous day. But for Doolan, the focus this week has been to continue working on a mental approach where she focuses on taking one shot at a time. It’s an approach that sounds cliché but it seems to be working well lately for the veteran pro.
“I played a little bit of golf over the summer and really I’ve had the same goal all summer,” Doolan said. “Golf is a funny game. You just never know when it’s going to show up and obviously a 67, that’s a good round and I’m happy with that. But the goal is the same and that’s one shot at a time. I’m fighting myself at times to do that but I’m really enjoying the challenge of staying in the moment.”
Doolan has put herself in position to win the LPGA T&CP National Championship for the first time in her career. The title would also earn her a spot in next year’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. The top-eight finishers will earn their way into the event and Doolan is looking to make a return trip as she finished eighth at the 2016 LPGA T&CP National Championship.
North Carolina native Cathy Johnston-Forbes leads the Senior Division at 4-under-par 140 following two straight rounds of 70, while local favorite Charlaine Hirst (Pinehurst, N.C.) sits atop the Challenge Division by seven shots with a two-day total of 8-over 152.
The 36-hole cut was made with 34 players making it in the Championship Division (19-over 163), 29 players in the Senior Division (20-over 164) and 10 players in the Challenge Division (28-over 172).
LPGA release Edited by Anand Datla
